Strength
by ILoveFowl
Summary: The long-awaited (by me) sequel to Weakness! Trouble Kelp discovers Artemis and Holly's relationship, and he is out for BLOOD. Maybe... literally? T for a reason. Chapter 1 is fixed and 2 should be up soon.
1. Peeping Trouble

**Hah! So, the first one is Weakness, and the sequel is Strength… geddit?**

**WARNING: If you haven't read my story Weakness, you will be SO CONFUSED very soon. It's just a little twoshot—go read it!**

**OTHER WARNING: This is going to be in the upper range of T-rated fics. Think Kitsune Heart—no actual smut, but LOTS of implications. (No offense to Kit, since her fics are amazing and this is going to be a buttload of crap.)**

**LAST WARNING: I am sort of making this up as I go along. This will be the stereotypical Trouble-Kelp-is-trying-to-wreck-Holly-and-Arty's-relationship fic. Half A/H fluff, half Holly and Trubs fistfighting.**

**Don't read this fic unless you like the emotional-er, slightly sadistic Arty.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. I just like to embarrass him.**

**~~ILoveFowl**

**P.S. One more little warning: remember this is after TAC and before TLG, because I really don't like TLG. Except for the cricket scene. And Gruff. Duh.**

"I can't talk for too long, Trouble, I've got to go to Fowl Manor soon." …_Ohmigods, I'm gonna see Arty, I'm gonna see Arty, ohmigods…_

"I understand perfectly, Holly, this won't take long."

She frowned, leaning against the wall. "So, what do you want to ask me?" She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what he wanted, and she had no idea how to refuse.

Kelp ran a hand through his overlong hair. "Well, I was wondering… if maybe you wanted to go out. On a date. This Friday."

_Deep breaths. You can do this. Just dilute the truth, don't lie, and do NOT give any real information_. "Well… I can't. I'm kind of with someone else."

He notched an eyebrow. "Who?"

Gulp. "You don't know him." _Technically true. Ish. Depends on the definition of "know."_

"Since when?"

_Okay, now lie._ "Last week." _Saying 'last month' would arouse suspicion. Duh._

Trouble scowled for a while, obviously not happy with this turn of events. "How serious is it?"

Holly couldn't help it. Honestly. One moment she was calm and collected, next she was grinning like a complete moron. "Um… we're pretty serious." She checked her watch. "Really, Trouble. I have to go see Arty."

Maybe, if she hadn't said that last word, all the future events could have been avoided. But upon hearing the pet name, Kelp's suspicions were aroused, and a seed of doubt was planted in his mind. It was completely possible. Everything fit; the two of them were close, Holly was impatient, she was turning down his advances. He surveyed her outfit briefly. Light-wash jeans and a royal blue, slim-fitting t-shirt. Nothing abnormal to your average elf, but more feminine than what Holly usually preferred.

He hid his thoughts well. "Fine. Go."

The seed only grew further when the younger elf turned and sprinted down the hallway, never once looking back.

* * *

Foaly looked up at the knock on the door. No one had an appointment, Holly was already 15 minutes gone, and he was about to leave himself. He opened the door, and was mildly surprised to see Trouble Kelp standing there. "Ah, our esteemed Commander. What do you need?"

"Ritual. Yes, I know it's early in the day, but I'm treating myself. I'm going off LEP time, so no helmet, no equipment, and I'm flying as far as I can." Hopefully, Foaly would have bigger things on his mind than checking the officers' suit locators.

"I'll get you a pod. Have fun, bossman."

Kelp walked out of the Ops booth, smirking. He didn't realize it, but his expression was reminiscent of one Artemis Fowl.

* * *

Artemis spun idly in his swivel chair. He was unable to concentrate on hacking US government sites, so he had been reduced to childish pastimes such as this.

_Ten minutes. She should be here within ten minutes._

_Calm down._

_Where _is _she?_

He turned back to his desk and reached for his communicator, but something stopped him. Not a sound, or a smell. He didn't catch sight of her out of the corner of his eye. He just _knew_. Knew that the most wonderful person in the world was in the room with him. Kicking gently at the floor, he pushed himself around so that he faced the window. Or not the window, exactly—the individual next to it.

For a moment, Holly and Artemis just gazed at each other.

Then, without breaking eye contact, Holly slipped off her wings, laid them on the floor, crossed the room, leaving the window open, and clambered into is lap, laying her head on his chest and sighing as all the tension of the past month drained from her body. He put his arms around her, kissing her head and marveling at how easy this was. There were no awkward silences, no uneasy touches. It came more naturally than friendship.

The elf said something into his shirt.

"What was that?"

She lifted her head. "I said, I love you."

"I knew that already."

"…But the fact that I love you will not keep me from hitting you. You have been warned."

There was a moments silence. Then Holly's head shot away from him, clipping his chin and causing him to bite his tongue. "Ouch!"

"_What did you just say_?!"

"Ouch?"

"Before that!" Her tone was frenzied.

"'I knew that already.'"

The LEP captain gaped at him. "Say it again."

"I knew that already."

"Artemis… Arty, that's…."

"Four words. I know."

"And so was that!" She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a squeal. "Arty! You never said…"

He smiled. "I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, you managed that! What about Orion?"

His smile changed into a full grin. "Orion who?"

Her response was an earsplitting shriek. "_Finally_!" Holly threw her arms around the human's neck and kissed him. Passionately. Teasing her tongue into his mouth, playing with his. Rising onto her knees to get a better angle.

He pulled away, and she pouted. "Not fair. Get back down here."

Artemis smirked, then rose, carrying her bridal-style to the bed. Holly thumped his chest in indignance, but there was no heart behind it. She loved how passively dominant he was. He knew how to rile her up, but he also knew when to back off.

"You are frighteningly light," he whispered in her ear. "Have you been eating lately?"

"Way to kill the mood, Fowl," she said sarcastically.

He laid her down on the pillows, grabbed her wrists, and pinned her down. "But," he murmered, "I can bring the mood back to life just as easily."

"Oh, really?"

Artemis didn't reply. Unless leaning down and beginning to lick Holly's ears counted as an answer.

* * *

Trouble Kelp flew quickly toward Fowl Manor, mere minutes behind Short. His imagination was going into overdrive, imagining what he might find. The manor came into view. One window was open. Three guesses.

He approached cautiously, listening carefully. Holly's voice floated out onto the breeze.

"Oh, really?" Her tone was tinged with amusement and something else. Possibly seductiveness. Checking his shield, Trouble crept closer and sat on the windowsill, soundlessly powering down his wings and thanking the gods that he had managed to snag one of the whisper models. Then he looked into the room, and his heart stopped.

Fowl was holding her to his bed by her wrists, exerting an impossible dominance over the stubborn Captain. She was breathing heavily, eyes shining up at the Mud Boy, obviously waiting for something.

The 'something' came. Fowl smirked, then leaned down and licked her ear from lobe to tip.

Holly screamed, arching against the human even as her entire body shook. Fowl took the end of her ear between his lips and sucked hard, and the elf appeared to go insane, shrieking Artemis's name over and over, begging incomprehensibly. He removed his mouth from her skin and her cries became distinguishable.

"Please, Arty, _please_, I want you!" She grabbed his wine-colored silk shirt, dragging him on top of her and capturing his lips in a ferocious kiss.

However bad the situation that Kelp expected to find, this was a million times worse. _Surely not. Surely they haven't_... But yes, they clearly had—without hesitation, Holly was unbuttoning Fowl's shirt. _Impossible! There has to be a law against this!_ But even as he thought it, he realized there wasn't, and his heart sank. Fairies accepted racial and sexual diversity—in theory. In reality, the Council was not going to be happy about this. But he would need to have proof—and "I followed her and spied" wasn't going to go over well. Holly would have to make a mistake.

Trouble glanced back inside the window, and felt like puking. Holly had inverted their position and was now sitting on Fowl's bare chest. She ran her fingers over his pectorals. Or, more accurately, where his pectorals should have been.

"Gods, you're scrawny," she muttered.

He grinned back at her. "Only parts of me are."

"Why should I believe that? Even if you were below average human size, you'd still be freaking enormous to me, so…"

"Why don't we measure?"

Holly laughed. "Yuck!"

"Okay, maybe not." The Irishman slid his hands under Holly's shirt and began lifting it.

_I should leave now, _Trouble thought. _I really should._

He stayed.

* * *

An hour or so later, Holly lay against Artemis's chest. She was wearing his shirt, which came halfway down her thighs, and nothing else. He was in boxer shorts. Neither of the had spoken since they finished.

She broke the silence first. "I need to tell you something."

Artemis groaned, and rolled them onto their sides. He buried his head in the crook of her shoulder. "Of course, wait until after we have sex to tell me you can't see me anymore."

She laughed, elbowing him. "It's not like that!"

"Then it can wait," he urged, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Wait until what?"

"Later."

"If I told you Opal was going to destroy the world in 24 hours, would you let me say that now?"

"You would have mentioned that before we had sex."

"…Is everything measured in BS and AS now?"

"Yes."

"Trouble asked me out."

This did not generate the reaction from her Fowl that she had hoped for, but it did cause the fairy hidden on the windowsill to jump slightly.

"Did he now," Artemis murmured around a mouthful of Holly's neck. "And you said?"

Holly tried to remember, but his lips on her skin were very distracting. "Um."

Artemis raised himself onto one forearm and leaned over her. "You said 'um?'"

Holly headbutted his chest. "No."

"No, you didn't say 'um,' or no, you said no?"

"Both."

"Good. I would hate to have to vow revenge."

Holly chuckled. "Like you would do that."

Artemis feigned hurt. "Of course I would. I do _anything _I want to."

The innuendo was not lost on the LEP captain. "And what do you want?"

"You."

"You just had me. I mean what do you want right-hey! _No_! Off, dammit!" Holly pulled his wriggling fingers away from her stomach. "That's it. I'm getting dressed."

Artemis watched as she crawled away. When she neared the edge, he reached out and oh so gently touched the bare sole of her foot.

Holly shrieked, flailed, and fell off the bed.

The boy genius leaned over, inspecting her prostrate form with a high degree of amusement. "That reaction was... interesting."

"Don't," she spluttered, rising of the floor, "even," she dusted off her arms, "_think _about it!" She spat this at her lover with such intensity that he flinched.

"Come now, Holly," he purred, leaning back on the bed and staring at the ceiling to give her some modicum of privacy while she changed. "I haven't gotten anywhere _near _your feet yet, and I am _so _curious..."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the wheedling tone of his voice. "No," she repeated.

But her word held no bite, and Artemis knew the battle was won. "Come back up," he pleaded, stretching his arms toward her. "I won't attack instantly, I promise."

She snorted, then threw his shirt and pants at him. He donned them without complaint, then reached for his elf again.

"I'm _coming_," she said, trying to be annoyed at his eagerness.

"I wish," he muttered into her ear as she settled her back on his chest.

Holly froze, then laughed. "Perv."

"I think I retain the right to be," he pointed out, pushing her off himself and rising over her on his elbows. He kissed her temples, then her cheeks.

She made a frustrated noise. "I knew you had bad aim, but really. You can't even _kiss _me without missing a few times first?"

Artemis gave her a deadpan look. "What if just don't want to kiss you, hmm?"

"Then you're stupid."

"True," he replied, and kissed her.

Holly sighed as his lips met hers, as she always did. This kiss was gentler than most they had shared, so she could pay more attention to what was happening around her, rather than having her mind blown out the metaphorical window. Artemis was lowering his body down over her, stroking her upper arms. How sweet, she mused, he wants to just touch me. He laid his shins over her legs, effectively pinning hers down, and his hands left her arms and moved down her body... _wait_.

Artemis had wondered how long it would take her to realize what was happening, and her reaction time was commendable. She squirmed, breaking her mouth away from his, and he sat back, grabbing her ankles. "Too late, my dear."

Holly shot upright, yanking on his elbows, but he had a death grip on her legs. "Artemis, I an not kidding. Let. Go."

"No."

"You damned smug little... let _go_!" She was desperate, he could tell. Weakened by excitement that she was trying to turn into fear. His left little finger strayed backward and stroked the side of her foot just once. Holly threw herself forcefully backward, slamming herself against the mattress. Her body, he knew, was instinctively trying to distract itself from the sensations being forced upon it. He took advantage of her inability to restrain him, taking both hands from her calves and stroking the soles of her feet with his fingers.

Trouble had heard of this condition. Nerve saturation or some such. There were treatments, but they had only been developed lately, and very likely Holly didn't know about them. The disorder was most common in females, unfortunately for them-the brushing of long hair against the ears at inopportune moments was a frequent scenario.

And he had always assumed Holly had a crew cut for tomboyish reasons.

A multitude of little incidents came back to him. Holly paying unusual attention to her posture in a crowded room. Holly squirming awkwardly during a hug. Holly nearly breaking another elf's nose when he tried to jokingly tweak her ear. All the pieces were there.

Trouble really, really hated Artemis Fowl.

* * *

Holly was enjoying a brief respite. She lay, spread-eagled and sweaty, underneath Artemis, trying to glare at him and blushing whenever her would-be angry gaze met his teasing, happy one. "You are..."

"I am?"

"Infuriating. Sadistic. Smart. Vindictive."

He kissed her forehead. "And you, my dear, are sweet, lovable, adorable, and _ridiculously_ ticklish."

She blushed.

"And currently you bear a striking resemblance to Julius Root..."

Holly laughed and tried to hit him. Artemis grabbed her wrists with one hand and held them above her head. "Ah-ah-ah. No." He laid his hand along her ribcage, curling the fingers around her back. The message was clear: I have you at checkmate.

She tried to voice her feelings to the man she loved, but couldn't, quite. "I feel so..."

"So what?" he leaned down and nuzzled her neck, making her squirm.

She tried again, haltingly. "So _vulnerable_. But I like it. It's like the kidnapping-I know you can do whatever you want with me-but I trust you."

For a moment, they simply lay in silence, contemplating the momentousness of the words Holly had just spoken. They had what others had only dreamed of-love. Fragile yet neverending. Breathtaking yet grounding. To be forever bonded to another person, but more than that, to have them bonded to you. To know that always, _always_, there was someone to turn to.

Holly laughed. "Artemis?"

"Hm?"

She tugged her wrists out of his grip, and held up her arms to him. "_I love you_. I _love_ you, I _love_ you, I _love_ you."

He smirked. "And I love you... may I kidnap you again?"

"_Absolutely_. We may have to make the bed downstairs a little bigger, however."

"And perhaps built-in handcuffs?"

Amazed, the elf gaped up at him. "Good gods, what have I done to you?"

"You have completely corrupted me," he said in a low growl. "And I am enjoying," he poked her lowest rib, "every," he squeezed her knee, "minute." He moved his fingers back toward her feet.

Luckily for Holly, his weight was not pressing down on her legs quite so much anymore. She wriggled out of his grip and crawled (if it can be called crawling when one is moving so fast) underneath the navy blue comforter.

Her lover's muffled, mock-irritated voice came from above. "You know this will be worse if I have to chase you."

"You know I can deal with it."

He didn't reply, but his skepticism hung heavy in the air. Artemis lifted the end of the blanket and began a stare-down with the elf. He lifted a hand and crooked one finger. _Come here._

She raised a cocky eyebrow. _Come and get me._

He smirked. _As you wish._

Holly, eyes wide, tried to scoot further away from him, but was unable to. The bed ended where she was sitting. She was as far as she was going to get.

She was incredibly excited.

She was horribly terrified.

He lunged.

The elf was shrieking pleas before the human got anywhere close, but they all rang hollow. He dragged her out from under the goose-feather comforter and held her easily aloft, arms tight around her, fingers teasing her sides. Then he spun her around, throwing his elf easily onto the bed and leaping after her, grabbing one of Holly's ankles before she could escape entirely, and pulling her back toward him. He pinned her toes down with his thumbs and scratched her insoles with his nails. Watching his lover squirm was amusing beyond belief, but the real joy was in her laugh.

Holly had the lightest, most wonderful laugh he had ever heard-even when her shrieks were being dragged out of her by his fingers. In fact, that was better, because then he had complete control over them. He could dance his hands over her taut stomach, and actually feel her slightly strangled peals shudder out of her; he could just barely graze his fingertips around her knees, and listen to her musical giggles. Or, as he did now, he could simply attack her feet, over and over, and watch as she struggled, while the most angelic scream he had ever heard issued from her lips.

And when her helpless voice began to drive him insane, he abandoned the whole venture and just kissed her.

Which she really enjoyed.

* * *

Trouble was not amused. This was ridiculous. Crazy. A human and an elf... going at it... would anger the general community beyond words.

But Holly was a good officer. Fowl had simply... misled her. He glanced back in the window. The two of them were obviously heading toward round two, and he did not want to stick around for the show. Or be discovered. Kelp kicked off the window and headed, top-speed, toward site 57. A quick Ritual, then back to Haven to formulate his game plan. This abomination would not continue.


	2. Waiting and Wondering

**Guess what? I came up with a plot! No kidding! This is still going to be fluffy and mushy, and it will be random, but I think it'll be better than it would have otherwise been. Like I said—no planning. Which is fun. Honestly. I was grinning for an hour after writing Chapter 1. I'm SO glad to be back writing in this universe.**

**Oh, and by the way: I only cured Arty's Atlantis Complex because I'm lazy and I didn't want to count every sentence of his. Sorry, that's not a plot thing.**

**On with the show!**

Even if he hadn't stalked Captain Short to her lover's house, Trouble thought grimly, there would be no mistaking her mood now. Holly had been ecstatic the whole week since her visit to Fowl Manor. Upon her return, Commander Kelp had inquired, innocently, as to why she had returned so late—it was nearly dawn!—and she had happily replied that she and her human friend had stayed up late talking.

_Talking_. Right.

Foaly, at least, was in on it. Whenever Trouble commented on Holly's mood, the two of them exchanged little knowing smirks. Trouble was wondering if perhaps he could get Foaly to admit something, and use that as a premise for his inquiries. Whatever he did, he couldn't let on that he already knew.

0o0o0o0o0

"Butler? I need to speak with you. It is a matter of some importance."

The manservant took a seat in front of his charge. "It's about Holly, isn't it?"

Artemis gave him an odd look. "Yes. What do you know?"

"I know that you're in love with her. Beyond that, you'll have to tell me. Though judging by your mood lately, I presume a breakthrough has been made?"

The teen coughed into his fist. "Yes. Holly and I are... together, now, and... I wanted to do something... special, and, well..." he trailed off.

"You need relationship ideas," the manservant said.

It wasn't a question, so Artemis nodded dumbly.

"Well, there's the usual-flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep..."

"I need something special."

**(A/N: mad props to anyone who can tell me what those last two lines are from.)**

The two men sat deep in thought for the next couple of minutes, analyzing every last detail of Holly's personality and bouncing ideas off each other.

"An engraved gun?"

"I don't want to appeal to her policefairy side, I want to appeal to her feminine side."

"She has one of those?"

"Yes. Maybe a book?"

"No."

"I didn't think so, either..."

A few more moments of silence. Then Artemis shot upright, a brilliant smile gracing his face as a tiny snippet of his and Holly's conversation came floating back to him.

"Butler. I believe I have a plan."

0o0o0o0o0

"Dr. Argon."

The gnome looked up. "Ah, Captain Short. How is our dear Mud Boy?"

_He's dearer to me than he is to you, I'm sure_, thought Holly. "He's shown impressive improvement. His symptoms have disappeared."

The psyche doctor glanced at her sharply. "Disappeared?"

She was tempted to pull a No.1 on the fairy and start listing synonyms, but restrained herself. "Yes. But it is possible that he was just having a good day. I suggest that we continue observing him for a while longer." _Please don't argue. Please please please..._

"Well, if you think so..."

"I do!" she blurted, then bit her lip. _Control yourself. You are talking to a _**psychiatrist**_, for the gods' sake. _

Argon, a good deal smarter than he looked, played his gaze over the elf in front of him. So, he thought. It's finally happened. What a relief. "Very well," he said aloud. "We can speak more about it next month."

0o0o0o0o0

Police Plaza, next day

Holly was daydreaming. No rare occurrence, but she was in deeper this time, almost feeling Artemis' long white fingers mercilessly finding and teasing every sensitive nerve in her soft skin. Her breath came hard as she heard a ghost of his voice whisper in her ear, _"No one_ can hear you scream," as he proceeded to make her shriek and laugh and call his name, begging, waiting, hoping that he would throw her up onto that bed and just-

Her helmet beeped. Holly caught sight of the name and her heart lept into her throat, her fantasy suddenly intensifying in time with the rapid pumping of her heart. She shook her head to clear it.

"Arty?"

His warm voice seemed to permeate her veins. "Holly." He paused for a second, as though savoring her name. "I'm afraid I'll be tied up the afternoon of next month's full moon..."

Her face fell. _I can't see him next month?!_

"So I propose that you come over _after_ you complete the Ritual."

"...You scared me on purpose."

"I haven't a clue what you mean," he replied with lofty amusement.

"Ooh, you little..."

"I think you're the little one in this relationship."

The LEP captain stuck her tongue out, even though her boyfriend couldn't see her. "I can still take you on."

"Remember the last time you, and I quote, 'could deal with it?'"

"Shuddup."

"Never."

They chuckled together for a moment.

"When do you want me over there?" Holly asked.

"If you complete the Ritual around ten-thirty, you can meet me on my balcony at eleven."

"All right. Arty?"

"Yes?" he asked, a bit breathlessly.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Holly. So much. I really do."

"I know," she said lazily. "I'm very loveable."

"Careful where you step, Short," he purred, reminding her of the dangers of teasing him.

She let an involuntary giggle slip out, followed by another when she heard a soft growl from the Mud Boy.

"Are you laughing at me, Holly?"

_Ooooooh, I am in so much trouble... _"Yep!"

"I can _give_ you something to laugh about..."

"No!" she yelped, as though he could do anything to her from his house in Ireland.

"Oh, yes. Believe me, I won't forget."

"I believe you," she muttered. Then, more quietly, knowing full well she would be both heard and punished, she whispered, "butthead."

During the dead silence that followed, she could almost hear him plotting a revenge that would likely be fully enjoyable for them both.

"I'll talk to you later," he said all too innocently.

"You'll do more than talk."

"Indeed."

The line went dead. Holly's feet were tingling.

0o0o0o0o0

_What could she possibly say that could be even vaguely construed as a basis for an inquiry?_

Trouble paced back and forth in his office, thinking hard. A minor slip of the tongue would mean shaky legal grounds for him, so the best course of action was to grab at a minor slip and ask her about it until she made a major one, at which point he could get going with the law.

But what law? There was nothing that prevented a human and fairy from pursuing a romantic or sexual relationship. After all, fairies weren't allowed to reveal themselves to Mud Men-that should have been enough to cover everything. No one expected a Mud Man to find a fairy and keep that memory.

_I hate him_.

Stupid Fowl.

0o0o0o0o0

Holly was very, very, very tempted to just break the news and see what happened. Unfortunately, that could end explosively. She was also tempted to avoid the subject entirely. But if No.1 found out from an unrelated source, he would never forgive her for keeping this from him. So she had decided to break it gently.

"No.1… hey there."

"Hello, Holly!" the little imp said exuberantly, sitting down in the little coffee shop where they had arranged to meet. "What was it you wanted to say to me?"

"Well. It's about Artemis." She glanced up for his reaction.

He had a knowing look on his face. "When you say his name, your magic rises to the surface," he informed her, "and your pulse rate increases more than 20 beats per minute."

She looked away, flushing hotly. "I just can't surprise you, can I?"

"No. So, what is it?"

"Well," she muttered, "we're together now, and…" she fidgeted, "I thought you'd want to know?"

"Did it hurt?"

Caught off-guard by this overtly blunt question, she blinked and said dumbly, "What?"

He snorted derisively. "Come on, Holly. You know what I'm talking about. Mating with him. Did. It. Hurt?"

"Um, well," she stumbled, "the first time, yeah." When had No.1 matured so much? Where had the eager child gone?

The imp nodded, sighing. "I could probably do something about that, if you want."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather not be magicked into something I'm not."

They sat in peaceable silence for a while, enjoying each other's presence and wondering about the future.

0o0o0o0o0

Another week passed, and Trouble was becoming increasingly frustrated. Surely there was something he could do. He couldn't actually physically keep her from visiting the Mud Boy-but he could direct her attentions elsewhere. After all, there was no way she really loved him. He was human.

Human.

A plan flashed into his mind.

0o0o0o0o0

_Six days, Short_, she thought to herself. _You can live through six days. _

_No. No, I really can't. _

"Hey, Holly!" called a voice from behind her.

She knew who it was without turning, but she did anyway. "Hey, Trouble." He'd been much nicer to her lately, but she saw him less; he was always holed up in his office doing who-knows-what.

"Where've you been lately? You're always up in the clouds," he said, tapping her head. "Away with that new boyfriend?"

"Yeah," she replied, half-smiling.

"It's always best at the beginning," he agreed. "Then you realize how annoying they are."

She smiled secretively. _I know just how annoying he is_.

"So how do I not know this guy?"

"He doesn't live in Haven."

Trouble frowned. "Pardon my saying so, but aren't you a little young for a long-distance relationship?" He paused for effect, then dropped the bomb. "Or are you two considering marriage?"

Holly froze. "I-no, we hadn't gotten there-I gotta go," she managed to stammer.

"Okay. See you."

"Bye," she said weakly.

As she practically ran out the door, Holly tried to keep her breathing under control. Every doubt about this relationship had been kept at bay by her happiness and star-crossed fuzzy feelings, but now they came crashing down on her head.

_Where can this relationship possibly go?_

_He's going to die in, like, seventy years. _

_His father can't find out about me. _

_And we can never get married. _

Holly hyperventilated. _I need to call Artemis… no, no, no I don't. _

_Yes, I do_.

She pulled out her communicator.

It rang once, twice, three times. Five times. No answer.

_Hello, Holly_, said his answering machine. _I apologize for not being here to reply, but I assure you I will reciprocate your kind attempt at civil communication with all possible punctuality. Please leave a message at the beep. _

Closing her phone, she sob-laughed, remembering when he had recorded that. She had made some stupid remark about him being ridiculously formal all the time, and he had taken it as a challenge. For the next week, she was pretty sure he hadn't used one word under three syllables.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she trudged to her motorcycle, thinking about how much he really meant to her. Every little whim of hers that she voiced, he made happen. If she wanted a horse, she was fairly positive that she would find a palomino gift-wrapped of her front porch the next morning.

But he was human. She was an elf. Size mattered, especially when it was tied to more important things like lifespan.

And the fact that she lived freaking underground.

And that his father not only didn't know her, he wasn't aware that her species existed.

This couldn't possibly work. There was nowhere this could go.

And yet, she wanted it to.

A lot.

She wanted it like she wanted him. And damn it, nothing this wonderful could be wrong. Illegal, sure. All the best things were. Going several hundred miles an hour sure was. But that's what being with him reminded her of. Only a million times more exhilarating.

She sighed, putting on her helmet.

0o0o0o0o0

_I am underneath a fucking oak tree. How are there no acorns?!_

_Because you're impatient, that's why. Calm down. _

_I have to hurry! _

_You don't want to be early. _

_Humph. _

_There's an acorn RIGHT THERE. _

_Thank you. I see why I keep you around. _

_Because I remind you of Artemis?_

_…shut up. _

_This isn't healthy, mentally speaking. _

Holly picked up the seed, ignoring both voices in her head. Rolling the little thing between her fingers, she glanced around for a spot of ground not covered with leaves.

_Crack_.

Instantly remembering the last time there had been someone behind her at this particular ritual site, she turned, shifting into a fighting crouch.

There was a pain in her shoulder.

And the world went dark.

0o0o0o0o0

Ooooooooooh, what's gonna happen? I know you hate me. Don't worry, I'm working on the next chapter.


End file.
